Day two of Champs NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, brought another full slate of action at the 13U level, with walk-off finishes, comeback attempts, and dominant pitching performances. Across 12 games, Thursday’s action showcased the depth of talent on display at Champs NC.
Cubs Scout Team 13U 3, Canes Midwest National 13U 2
After two back-to-back singles to lead off the game, Canes Midwest National earned an early 1-0 lead courtesy of a Fielder Grebert triple. They held their lead until the bottom of the fourth, when Max Kotra of the Cubs Scout Team doubled in their first run of the contest, tying it at 1-1. With two outs and one runner on in the bottom of the fifth, Cubs Scout Team’s Weston Stalls hit an inside-the-park-home run to center field, giving them a 3-1 lead. Canes Midwest National responded in the top of the sixth with a run of their own but were unable to complete the comeback, finalizing the Cubs Scout Team’s 3-2 victory.
ZT National Prospects 13U 6, Team Elite National 13U 6
A five-run inning from ZT National Prospects highlighted a 6-6 tie with Team Elite National. ZT National Prospects jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first before exploding with a five-run frame in the second. A double and a walk put the first two runners on before a fielder’s choice and two defensive miscues scored the first three runs. Christian Cicero capped the inning with a two-run double to give ZT National Prospects a 6-0 lead. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Team Elite National rallied with two outs to cut the deficit to 6-4. With one final opportunity, Team Elite National tied the game in the bottom of the seventh as a balk and wild pitch brought home two runs, securing the 6-6 tie.
Scottsdale Dirtbags National 13U 6, Top Tier Select 13U 3
Scottdale Dirtbags National took an early 3-0 lead and held on for a 6-3 victory over Top Tier Select. Scottsdale’s Lucas Litton drove in the first run of the contest with an RBI double to left field. Scoring one run in both the second and third innings, Scottsdale Dirtbags National built a 3-0 advantage before Top Tier Select cut into the lead in the bottom of the third. Two straight walks put two runners on first and second before Declan Steinmetz doubled in both. An AJ Elliott single for Top Tier Select tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth, but Scottsdale answered with three runs in the top of the fifth. Two singles put runners on before a Lucas Litton single plated one run, while a defensive miscue and a sacrifice fly extended the lead to 6-3. Top Tier Select was unable to rally, resulting in a 6-3 loss.
SCP 2031 Marucci 13U 8, USA Prime National 13U 3
A two-run first inning gave USA Prime National their only lead of the game. A leadoff single put the first runner aboard before Jack Sutter drove him in with a single to right field. Eli Deville plated Sutter with a single to center field, giving USA Prime National a 2-0 lead. The South Charlotte Panthers tied the game in the bottom of the second. William Johnson tripled in Nolyn Gibson, who led off the inning with a double to center field, before Johnson scored on a groundout to second. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, South Charlotte broke the game open with a four-run inning highlighted by RBI singles by Brighton Kendal and Kyson Scurry. Leading 6-2, the Panthers added two more runs in the sixth with a bases-loaded walk and Scurry’s second RBI single of the game. With two outs in the seventh, USA Prime National scored on a defensive miscue but was unable to mount a comeback, falling 8-3.
ZT National Prospects 13U 9, Canes Midwest National 13U 0
ZT National Prospects secured a commanding 9-0 win over Canes Midwest National behind a dominant pitching performance that allowed just one hit. Caleb Covarrubias started on the mound for ZT National Prospects, tossing 5.2 innings while allowing no hits or runs and striking out five. ZT National Prospects plated their first run of the contest in the top of the third on a Cash Tellez infield single. They added to their lead in the fifth as back-to-back RBI singles made the score 3-0. Frankie Trejo led off the seventh with a double to left field before Joshua Park followed with an RBI triple. ZT National then scored five runs on five consecutive hits, highlighted by Julian Arenas’ triple to right field, securing the 9-0 victory.
Team Elite National 13U 10, Cubs Scout Team 13U 9
In walk-off fashion, Team Elite National defeated Cubs Scout Team 10-9. An RBI single scored the first run of the game for Cubs Scout Team, but Team Elite National immediately responded in the bottom of the first, scoring twice on a defensive miscue and an RBI single. Cubs Scout Team regained the lead in the second by scoring on a wild pitch, but Team Elite National answered in the bottom half with a run of its own on a wild pitch to tie the game 3-3. The third inning went scoreless before Cubs Scout Team plated another in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. A Team Elite National RBI double tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the inning before Team Elite erupted for five runs in the sixth, highlighted by two RBI doubles and an RBI single. Cubs Scout Team responded with a five-run seventh inning to tie the game at 9-9. With two outs and two runners aboard in the bottom of the frame, Team Elite’s Brooks Bennett drove in the winning run with a single to center field, lifting his team to a 10-9 victory.
USA Prime National 13U 9, Scottsdale Dirtbags National 13U 6
USA Prime National jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Scottsdale Dirtbags National wasn't going down without a fight. They responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second thanks to a Santiago Reyes two-run inside-the-park home run. USA Prime National regained the lead in the fourth as a run scored on a passed ball before Ryan Ardovino added an RBI single to extend the advantage to 5-3. Scottsdale responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs of its own, highlighted by a Ryan Fenzel triple. USA Prime National’s Jeremiah Dorsey led off the fifth with a triple to right field before Eli Deville drew a walk to put two runners on. Radner Roth followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 6-6. After a scoreless sixth inning, USA Prime National scored three runs in the top of the seventh to secure a 9-6 victory.
Top Tier Select 13U 11, SCP 2031 Marucci 13U 3
Top Tier Select opened the contest with a four-run first inning, and the South Charlotte Panthers immediately responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half, which proved to be their only runs of the game. The second inning went scoreless before Top Tier Select added another run in the third on a wild pitch to extend its lead to 5-3. Top Tier Select added three more runs in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles from Declan Steinmetz and Christopher Somerville. Leading 8-3 in the fifth, a leadoff walk put a runner on before Austin Whannel drove him in with a single. A defensive miscue by the Panthers’ third baseman plated another run, extending the lead to 10-3. Top Tier Select added one more run in the sixth and held the Panthers scoreless the rest of the way to secure an 11-3 victory.
FTB Phillies 13U 15, Canes Nation 13U 10
A big seven-run inning highlighted FTB Phillies’ 15-10 win over Canes Nation. With two outs in the first, the FTB Phillies scored four runs on an RBI single and four consecutive walks. Canes Nation responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-3. Canes Nation then took a 6-4 lead in the second before the Phillies answered with their seven-run third inning. Canes Nation added another run in the third to cut the deficit to 11-7. FTB Phillies responded with four more runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 15-7. Canes Nation scored three times in the fourth, but neither team would score again as the Phillies secured the 15-10 win.
PRD 13U 6, STIX 2031 Prospects 13U 1
A strong pitching performance from PRD powered a 6-1 victory over STIX 2031 Prospects. PRD took a 2-0 lead in the first on a single and sacrifice fly. STIX 2031 plated their lone run of the game in the second but were unable to get anything else going throughout the contest. After a scoreless third inning, a walk and a double put two runners on for PRD in the fourth. PRD’s Luca Ibanez delivered a two-run single to center field, extending the lead to 4-1. With the bases loaded in the fifth, a fielder’s choice and a walk brought home two more runs. No further scoring followed, sealing the 6-1 victory.
SBA Bolts National 13U 6, Wildcatters ELITE 13U 2
Capitalizing on a four-run fourth inning, SBA Bolts National earned a 6-2 victory over Wildcatters ELITE. SBA Bolts National took a 2-0 lead in the first before Wildcatters ELITE got on the board in the third with a bases-loaded walk. With the bases loaded again in the fourth, SBA Bolts National’s Noah Henderson doubled to left field, scoring two. Two more runs scored in the fourth on a sacrifice bunt and a walk, making it 6-1. The fifth inning went scoreless before Wildcatters ELITE’s Chayse Frierson doubled in a run in the sixth. However, Wildcatters ELITE was unable to rally, falling 6-2.
Kangaroo Court Roos American 11, Indiana Bulls Black 2031 13U 3
An eight-run sixth inning propelled Kangaroo Court Roos American to an 11-3 victory over Indiana Bulls Black 2031. The first two innings went scoreless before Kangaroo Court Roos American plated three in the third. Indiana Bulls Black 2031 answered with one run in the bottom of the inning and added another in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Kangaroo Court Roos American then broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning to take an 11-2 lead. Indiana Bulls Black 2031 scored once in the bottom half of the frame, but it was not enough to prevent the 11-3 loss.
